Federal leaders must fix an antiquated exemption that prevents teachers from receiving overtime pay, writes MEA member Audra DeRidder, a special education and fifth-grade teacher in Iron Mountain Public Schools, in a recent essay for the National Employment Law Project. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1935 (FLSA) is a landmark law that provides critical […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When MEA member Megan Ake changed school districts from Farmington to Fenton five years ago, the first teaching tasks she felt pressured to master involved massive classroom-practice checklists and student-growth data mandates in the state’s evolving educator evaluation system. Instead of learning her students’ names, delving into a new […]
Gov. Whitmer has signed a bill making important changes to the post-retirement employment window and earnings limits for school retirees who choose to return to work. House Bill 4752 (now Public Act 147 of 2023), introduced by Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), shortens the waiting period for a retiree with a bona fide retirement to work […]
Track bills with ease using MEA’s new legislative tracker MEA has launched a new legislative tracking system designed to make it easier for you to follow the latest happenings at the state Capitol, particularly when it comes to legislation affecting our schools, our students and our families. Visit mea.org/legislation to stay up-to-date on the latest […]
Ask legislators to support bill fixing teacher evaluations Teacher evaluations are broken — and it’s time to fix them. The state Legislature is expected to take up legislation this fall to do just that by making teacher evaluations more fair and constructive. Senate Bill 395, introduced by state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (an MEA member and […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor NEA President Becky Pringle and MEA President Chandra Madafferi serve free breakfast to students at Dublin Elementary in Walled Lake, the first stop of a two-day, four-district tour. NEA President Becky Pringle visited four school districts in Michigan last week to see what change looks like when a governor [...]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s team convened a conversation in July with food service professionals and MEA members from across the state to begin discussing the logistics around the universal free school meal program included in the recent state education budget. Veteran food service professionals, who nurture deep bonds with students, voiced their excitement about ensuring no […]
On Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation restoring collective bargaining rights lost by educators over a decade ago – making good on pro-educator lawmakers’ promise to respect the profession as a way to recruit and retain the best and brightest for our students. Building on the record-breaking education budget signed last week, these new […]
Celebration and interconnection. Those were the predominant themes that ran through the speakers and sessions at the MEA Summer Conference last week at Saginaw Valley State University. “All of us have experienced so much in the past few years, but when I think about the darkest, toughest times, I think of one thing: Hope,” said […]
By Brenda Ortega and Zach Crim MEA Public Affairs UPDATE 7/27 – Gov. Whitmer has signed HBs 4044, 4233 and 4354 into law, along with several other bills designed to recruit and retain educators. These new laws will take effect in early 2024. HB 4356 will be sent to Gov. Whitmer for her consideration soon […]
